TIP: Dry skin

Only people who live in a cold, dry climate know the torment of dry skin and winter itch. What can you do about it? Easy enough. Turn the heating down and move to Greece. You can not move? Then at least turn down the heating, which is already a big step towards a healthier winter skin. You can do more things; some of these can be found on the following pages. All these tips are based on one fact, namely: dry skin indicates a shortage of water in the skin, not a shortage of skin-smear. Keep this in mind when reading these tips and especially during the next winter; your skin will thank you for it.

Do not try to get rid of your dry skin, in many fashion magazines and books about beauty you can read that you have to "drink at least seven to eight glasses of water a day" to keep the skin supple and prevent dehydration. Do not believe it.

If you are totally dehydrated, your skin will also dry out. But if the moisture content in your body is normal, you can not possibly restore dry skin by drinking water.

Bring the water in where it has the effect. The best way to introduce water into the skin is to lie in it. Soaking 15 minutes in lukewarm water is good, but no hot water. Also throw the idea overboard that you have to take a bath every day. The golden rule for dry skin is to use fewer baths and colder water.

dry skin

Lubricate your skin.
Apply a moisturizer after each bath. The moisture that has been drawn into the skin during the bath has a tendency to evaporate. If you often take a bath, a moisturizer is doubly important, because it is the moisturizer that holds the water.

Many people believe that they have to apply a moisturizer to provide the skin with fats again, but that is not true. Remember that dry skin is the result of a shortage of water. Everyone knows how easy it is to cut toe or fingernails after they have been in the water for a while. This is a good example of hydration; it shows what happens to the skin when you take a bath. Applying a moisturizer after the bath keeps the water in the skin and prevents dehydration.

Dry yourself only slightly.
It is more efficient to apply a moisturizer to moist skin immediately after the bath, than on completely dry skin. That does not mean that you have to step out of the bath or shower soaking wet and apply the lotion immediately. But light dabbing is sufficient before you apply the lotion. It is the intention to hold a little water in the skin.

Do not let yourself be bothered by advertising.
Ordinary Vaseline or mineral oil are the best moisturizers. By the way, if you are not put off by the greasy feeling, almost every vegetable oil (sunflower oil, peanut oil) or hardened oil is suitable for tackling dry skin and winter itch. They are effective, safe and unadulterated skin lubricants. Moreover, they are very cheap. However, these products have one disadvantage. They are all pretty greasy. And people love things that smell nice, feel nice and do not give them a greasy feeling. It depends on how much you want to spend on it, how you want to smell and how you want your skin to feel. All moisturizers basically do the same, and it is absolutely impossible to prove scientifically that one brand product is better than the other.

Oatmeal heals.
Some researchers believe that the soothing effect of oatmeal was already discovered almost 4,000 years ago. Many people still discover that today. Oatmeal can be used in the bath as a soothing agent. Simply pour 2 cups of colloidal oatmeal (available in the pharmacy) in a bath of lukewarm water. The term colloidal simply means that the oat flakes are ground into a fine powder that dissolves in the water. Oatmeal can also be used to replace soap. Sprinkle some colloidal oatmeal into a handkerchief, immerse it in water, squeeze out the excess water and use it as a washcloth.

Use extra greasy soap.
Most soaps contain lye, and although this is an excellent cleaning agent, it is very irritating to your dry skin. Therefore, people with dry skin can use the best over-fat soaps. These soaps contain extra amounts of fat - cold-cream, cocoa butter, coconut oil or lanolin - which are added during the production process. Overfilled soaps clean less well, but do not irritate dry skin.